- A Georgia resident died from an infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba.
- The Georgia Department of Public Health said it was most likely a result of a swim at a freshwater lake or pond.
A Georgia resident died from a brain-eating amoeba infection, the Georgia Department of Public Health announced Friday, making it the second death to be announced this week.
According to the press release, there have been five other cases of infection caused by Naegleria fowleri — the scientific name for the amoeba — recorded in Georgia history. There have been 157 in the US since 1962, per the CDC.
"A Georgia resident has died from Naegleria fowleri infection, a rare infection which destroys brain tissue, causing brain swelling and usually death," the health department confirmed in a news release. "The individual was likely infected while swimming in a freshwater lake or pond in Georgia."
The ultra-rare infection has become more common in different parts of the United States as a result of warming temperatures but is most commonly found in the South. The amoeba thrives in warm freshwater lakes and ponds.
Infections can occur after the amoeba enters the body via the nose and travels to the brain. The amoeba can then cause a brain infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis.
On July 24, authorities announced that two year old died from the same infection after visiting a hot spring in Nevada with his family.
And earlier this year, a person who flushed their sinuses with tap water in Florida also died from the infection.